Graduation Year

2026

Date of Submission

5-2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

International Relations

Reader 1

Jennifer Taw

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Abstract

Mexico is in a deep crisis due to the mass influx of firearms flooding its borders. Conservative estimates suggest that an average of 700 firearms are smuggled into Mexico through the US-Mexico border every day. That amounts to 255,500 firearms every year. As a result, criminal organizations have seized insurmountable power from the government, and civilians live under tremendous fear of gun violence. Mexico has explored many avenues to solve this issue: it has waged a war against crime, led regional and international efforts against the illicit arms trade, collaborated with the US in joint security missions, and taken legal action against US gun manufacturers and wholesalers. Still, efforts have shown little promise for change. This thesis provides a response to two questions: How do institutional constraints shape Mexico’s ability to combat arms trafficking, and to what extent can technological tools enhance policy enforcement? It attempts to fill a gap in the literature on the ‘iron river’ that provides insight on Mexico’s current domestic capabilities to address policy implementation barriers such as corruption, weak institutional capacity, low funding, agency fragmentation, low domestic incentives, and centralized military power through the use of technologies specialized in strengthening governance.

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